U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will award the City of Gulf Shores, Alabama, a federal highway infrastructure improvement grant in the amount of $14,404,831 for a project to increase the capacity of State Highway 59 in Baldwin County. The grant is made available as part of the DOT Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program, which focuses on economic development and infrastructure upgrades.

“This is excellent news for the City of Gulf Shores and our Gulf Coast region,” said Senator Shelby. “The $14.4 million BUILD grant from DOT will enhance the safety and efficiency along Highway 59, as well as alleviating excessive traffic. I look forward to working with my colleagues and Transportation Secretary Chao as we continue to prioritize the infrastructure needs of Alabama and the nation.”

The BUILD grant for Gulf Shores, Alabama, will fund a project to:

•Construct approximately 2 miles of a third southbound lane on State Highway 59 between County Road 8 and Alabama State Highway 180;

•Construct a new pedestrian bridge over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway;

•Construct shared-use paths along State Highway 59 from 20th Avenue to County Road 4;

•Expand County Road 6 from a two-lane roadway to a divided four-lane boulevard with dedicated cycling lanes and a shared-use pedestrian path access; and

•Add new two-lane roads, cycling lanes and sidewalks.

“We recognize that multimodal transportation infrastructure improvements are critical to the long-term sustainability of our community. This project will provide safe bicycle and pedestrian routes, ease traffic congestion, improve emergency response and expedite the evacuation process for our residents and the millions of visitors we host annually.” stated Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. “I would like to thank Senator Richard Shelby and our Congressional Delegation for their assistance with this grant process. This project would not be possible without their unwavering support.”